Rex Patrick (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate:

(a) notes that:

  (i) the world's leading conservation organisation, World Wide Fund for Nature, notes that palm oil is the most widely-consumed vegetable oil on the planet, and it is in about half of all packaged products sold in the supermarket,

  (ii) under current labelling laws, manufacturers are able to label palm oil as 'vegetable oil', preventing consumers from being able to make an informed choice about the foods they purchase and consume,

  (iii) palm oil is used in non-food products, including cosmetics, soap, washing powders and other cleansing products,

  (iv) palm oil production results in extensive deforestation and has led to the removal of wildlife habitat and has placed many species, including the endangered orangutan, at risk,

  (v) consumer research indicates that 95 per cent of Australians support mandatory labelling of palm oil, and

  (vi) palm oil is high in saturated fat and low in polyunsaturated fat and increases the risk of heart disease; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to legislate for the mandatory labelling of palm oil on all products.